The air was heavy, thick with an oppressive weight that pressed down on her like despair itself. Inside the cocoon, Du Yue felt as if she were sinking into a dark, endless sea. Her chest tightened, her heartbeat pounding loudly in her ears, fear creeping in bit by bit.
A storm of negative emotions crashed over her all at once. Hatred. Despair. Loneliness. Betrayal. They churned and tangled together, like restless ghosts clawing at her soul. Her breathing grew uneven, the suffocating pressure making it feel as though she might be crushed from the inside out.
'Let me out… I don't want to stay here…'
Her thoughts screamed, but the sound was swallowed by the crushing darkness.
Anger surged first… hot and violent, burning through her veins.
'Why was she trapped here? Why did everything always turn out like this? Why?'
The sense of betrayal followed close behind, sharp and bitter, cutting deeper with every breath.
Then came loneliness. Cold, heavy, and absolute. It seeped into her bones like ice, wrapping tightly around her heart until she felt completely isolated.
There was no escape in this suffocating darkness. No one to help her. No one to hear her. She was alone… abandoned, forgotten.
Her body trembled, fear gripping her tightly, but worse than fear was the despair that followed. It dragged at her consciousness, threatening to pull her into a bottomless abyss where nothing existed but darkness. How much longer could she endure this? How long before it swallowed her whole?
'Someone… please help me…'
The plea felt weak, barely more than a thought. Her eyes searched the endless void, but there was no response.
Then, as if remembering something; someone… she whispered softly, her voice trembling,
"Husband…? Husband, please… don't leave me alone…"
She did not realize it yet, but this was her pure soul… trapped within a cocoon formed from years of accumulated negative emotions.
Meanwhile, Su Wen stood in front of the house door. He could clearly feel that something was missing… something that gave his home its meaning.
Beside the entrance was a large, flat black stone embedded into the wall. Su Wen lifted his treasure brush, infused it with Grade 2 Sword Intent, and began to write upon it in beautiful, flowing calligraphy.
His hand moved naturally, like that of a seasoned artisan. The brush in his grasp felt no different from a sword, each stroke clean and decisive.
After a short while, he finished. Su Wen stepped back and quietly admired his work.
Suddenly, he sensed something and turned around.
Du Yue was clutching her head, tears streaming down her face as she called out weakly,
"Husband…? Husband…?"
Su Wen instantly teleported to her side and pulled her into his arms, his hand gently touching her cheeks.
He frowned slightly, but his tone remained calm.
"Wife? What happened?"
"Husband… where are you…? Please take me away from here…"
"I'm here," he replied immediately. "Don't cry… Wife."
His brows tightened. 'The pill shouldn't have such side effects.'
He gently held her wrist and sent out his Soul Sense to check her condition. After a brief moment, his expression turned puzzled. There was nothing wrong… her body was stable and healthy.
He then pressed his fingers against her forehead and carefully sent his Soul Sense into her consciousness.
The moment his Soul Sense entered, he saw a massive black mass filled with impurities within her consciousness.
Without hesitation, Su Wen lowered his head until their foreheads touched and pushed most of his Soul Sense directly into her consciousness.
His Soul Sense took on a physical form within her consciousness.
Then he saw it… a black cocoon riddled with cracks. From inside came her faint, trembling voice,
"Husband? I don't want to stay here… please… Husband, where are you?"
Su Wen rushed toward the cocoon without hesitation.
"Wife! I'm here!" he said gently. "Calm down… tell me what happened. What is this black cocoon?"
Within the darkness, Du Yue heard his voice and trembled violently.
"Husband! I'm here! I don't know where I am… please take me out of here quickly… I-I'm scared."
Su Wen examined the cocoon carefully, his voice soft but steady.
"Wife, don't worry. I'm here. With me around, nothing will happen to you."
His tone turned serious.
"This seems to be some kind of impurity surrounding your pure soul. I don't know where it came from, but it's made of… negative emotions?"
He frowned inwardly. 'What did this girl go through to accumulate so much negativity?'
Then his voice softened again.
"Wife, stay calm. Don't be afraid. You are the wife of Young Master of the Mountain."
His gaze stayed steady but filled with unintended pride.
"Be proud. Don't let these disgusting emotions affect your state of mind… Think about something positive instead… like our time together."
He paused, then added dryly,
"If you don't calm down… I'll have to discipline you for not listening to me, once you're out."
Inside the cocoon, Du Yue heard his words and immediately began thinking about all the moments she'd shared with her husband… the first time she saw his face, his calm and prideful eyes, the way he worked tirelessly to heal her injuries, and the care hidden behind his stern expression.
As those memories surfaced, the black emotions within the cocoon began to weaken. Loneliness, despair, and bitterness slowly faded from her mind. The cocoon trembled, its cracks spreading wider and wider.
She remembered how his grandparents had treated her like a granddaughter, the night at the lake steps where they shared wine, their first kiss, and the moment he asked for permission to call her "Wife."
Ever since arriving on the mountain, she realized, she had been living the best days of her life.
Then she remembered how she ordered him around as "Young Master K," and how he shamelessly justified bullying her as discipline.
"Hehehe…" A loud chuckle escaped her lips, involuntarily recalling the times he had disciplined her.
Outside the cocoon, Su Wen was still seriously analysing how to break it. In the end, he reached only one conclusion… it had to be shattered from the outside. He gathered all his Soul Sense and stood one step away, raising his arm like a sword, ready to strike.
Just as he was about to warn Du Yue, he heard a clear chuckle from inside.
Su Wen's completely serious expression twisted into something strange.
'…What is my dumb wife thinking at a time like this?'